Crown-piece for front forks of bicycles



(No Model.)

R. PERKINS. cEowN PIEGE FORl FRONT FoRKs oF BIoYcLEsf NO. 535,1455.

Patented' Mari 5, 1895.A

I I I 1 l 1 1 I Urvrman frarns nfraivr Garros@ ROBERT PERKINS, OFROCKAVVAY, NEVV J ERSEY.

CROWN-PIECE FOR FRONT FORKS OF BHCYCLES.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,145, dated March 5,1895..

Application filed September 12, 1894. Serial No. 522,786. (Na model.)

To wZZwhom ,it may concern- Be it known that I, ROBERT PERKINS, asubject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Rockaway,in the State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Crown-Pieces for Front Forks of Bicycles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and eXa-ct descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification. A

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction ofbicycles, and provides animproved form of crown or yoke for connectingthe front steering bar to the twin forks in which the front wheel findsits bearing, as more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crownpiece made in accordance with my invention and illustrating portions ofthe parts of the frame which it connects or secures together. Fig. 2 isa sectional clevation of the same, on the line 2-2, Fig. 3; and Fig. 3is a sectional plan view, on the line 3--3, Fig. 2. i

The object of my invention is to provide a crown plate or yoke in whichthe top wall and all the vertical walls are constructed integral of onesingle piece of sheet metal drawn into the desired shapeproducingamaximum rigidity in all the parts, the vertical walls forming pocketsor orifices for the reception of the steering bar centrally and for thereception of the two lower fork tubes in the respectiver ends, arecontinuous throughoutand continuous and integral with the top plate. Anauxiliary lower plate having a contour co-incident with the contour ofthe outer lines of the lower edge of the vertical walls of the crownplate thus formed is brazed upon the lower edge inclosin g the lowerparts otherwise open. A solid crown or yoke of great rigidity andstrength is thus formed from a single sheet of metal with the additionof the lower brazed plate, and, besides accomplishing the merits thusabove referred to, the cost of production of the crown is materiallyreduced in comparison with the cost of efficient constructionsheretofore known.

In carrying out my invention I draw or stamp up from a disk of steel,the main or body portion, A, of the crown piece, which comprises a topplate, a, provided with a central opening, a', for the reception of thesteering bar, S, and a continuous vertical wall or flange, az, which,with the top plate, is so bent at its opposite ends as to form endpoekets, ag, for the reception of the fork tubes, F, which fork tubescarry at their lower ends bearings for the front wheel. This main bodyportion, A, is in form of an inverted cup having enlarged bowls at theends and center of acontour of the character more clearly shown in Fig.3, and in order to close its lower open mouth, and to close the lowerend of the tube or steering bar, S, I provide an auxiliary plate, D,having a contour similar to that of the plate, A, its opposite ends,however, being provided with openings, b, for the passage of the upperends of the fork tubes.

In the manufacture of the crown plate the sheet metal is cut in thedesired lines and the plate then drawn by machinery constructed for thepurpose to the shape shown in Fig. 1, all the vertical walls which formthe surrounding, or partially surrounding, inclosing and binding wallsof the pockets for the two lower forks and for the steering bar are thuscontinuous and integral also With the top plate. After the crown platehas thus been drawn and formed the central opening, a', for the steeringbar is then punched in the top plate, the walls of this opening` beingcoinci- 'dent vertically with'the inner walls` of the semi-circularportion of the central pocket for the reception of the steering bar. Theinner diameter of the several pockets or orifices thus formed for thereception of the lower forks and the steering bar respectively isapproximately coincident with the diameters of the said parts adaptcd tobe fitted within them, so that when placed in position the inner wallsof the respective pockets bind firmly upon the outer walls of the saidintruded parts respectively.

In assembling the parts, the lower plate, B, is first slipped over theends of the fork tubes, F, and the fork tubes are then inserted in theopposite end pockets, as, of the crown piece proper. The lower plate, B,is then drawn up until it completely closes the lower open mouth of thecrown piece and forms an inclosed box preventing dirt and dust fromaccumulating.

The steering bar, S, is then in- IOS serted in the central opening, ag,of the crown piece and the whole is then brazed together so as to form asolid structure.

The crown piece above described possesses great strength; is of simpleand cheap construction and simplifies the assembling and securingtogether of the parts which it unites.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to Secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A crown piece or yoke having three vertically disposed pockets,comprising a body portion formed of sheet metal the vertical wallsforming the three pockets being stam ped or drawn from the material ofthe main body forming two end pockets and a central pocket, said wallsbeing Continuous throughout and integral with the top portion,substantially as described.

2. A crown piece or yoke having three vertically disposed pockets,comprising a body portion formed of sheet metal the vertical wallsforming thethreepockets being stamped or drawn from the material of themain body forming two end pockets and a central pocket, said walls beingContinuous throughout and integral with the top portion and a bottomplate Secured to the lower edges of the vertical walls of a contourcoincident to the contour of the lower lines of said vertical walls,substantially as described.

3. A crown piece comprising a main or body portion formed of a disk ofmetal so drawn or stamped as to form a central opening for the steeringbar and opposite end pockets for the fork arms in combination with abottom disk or plate adapted to close the open, lower mouth of the bodyportion of the crown piece, substantially as described.

4. A crown piece comprising a main or body portion, A, formed of asingledisk of steel so drawn or stamped as to form a top plate, a, aContinuous side wall or flange, dg, integral with the plate and endpockets, a, for the recepton of the fork tubes, in com bination with alower disk or plate, B, of the same Contour as the plate, a, said lowerdisk or plate having at its opposite ends openings for the passage ofthe fork tubes, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have heren-nto set my hand this 10th day ofSeptember, 1894.

FREDK. HAYNEs, IRENE B. DEOKER.

